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Asian Games | For cricket to grow, it has to be played everywhere: Sunil Gavaskar

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 18:32:00 +0000

X-factor: Gavaskar wants India to be patient with Sooryavanshi.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

In an unrelenting cricket calendar where monotony can set in over run-of-the-mill bilateral assignments, a multi-disciplinary event like the Asian Games holds the promise of a novel offering.

The competition provides a unique opportunity for India’s high-profile cricketers to mingle with athletes from other sports whilst attempting to win gold for the nation. Shreyas Iyer & Co. will be looking to do just that when they travel to Japan for the continental spectacle’s T20 tournament from September 24 to October 3.

This will be the Indian cricket team’s second appearance at the Asian Games, having pocketed gold in Hangzhou, China, in 2023.

This will be the Indian cricket team’s second appearance at the Asian Games, having pocketed gold in Hangzhou, China, in 2023.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

Sunil Gavaskar hopes the Men in Blue savour the experience of a multi-sport carnival. “You get to know and talk to athletes from other sports, and get to know what makes them tick. It will be a wonderful experience,” he said during a virtual media interaction.

Though reports have emerged of the arrangements in Japan for the cricketers not being up to scratch, Gavaskar emphasised that such obstacles shouldn’t dissuade the game’s stakeholders from exploring newer markets.

“If cricket has to become a global sport, it has to be played in different parts of the world. At the Olympics, for example, you could play in a city where cricket isn’t generally played. You might not always get the best facilities,” the 77-year-old opined. “For the game to grow, I would encourage them to play wherever possible.”

If cricket is to pique the curiosity of spectators at the Asian Games, the boy wonder that is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to show up. The spunky 15-year-old, who cracked two half-centuries against Zimbabwe after a baptism by fire against England, will hope to continue his upward flight.

“Look in T20 cricket, you can’t expect consistency. Vaibhav is the kind of batter who can win you three or four out of 10 games. But he’s somebody with whom we need to have patience,” assessed Gavaskar.

(Watch cricket at Asian Games 2026 on Sony Sports and Sony LIV from September 17).

Published – September 08, 2026 12:24 am IST

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has made a point — let us resolve to leave him alone

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 05:20:00 +0000

India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, centre, walks off the field with teammates after the 4th T20 match against England.
| Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

When Mahendra Singh Dhoni was starting out as an India player, he had a favour to ask of the media. Please don’t rush to my parents’ house every time I score some runs, he pleaded. It is difficult to say which comes first, the public’s obsessive interest in a player or the media’s creation of that obsession. To remain a public figure and yet retain privacy is a delicate balancing act.

Sachin Tendulkar managed it well. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, younger when making his international debut, should steel himself (as his family must too) for the invasions that will surely follow. Yes, the public has a right to know (the usual argument), and yes the media only give the public what it wants. But at 15, Sooryavanshi is hardly in a position to resist even if he had the tools or knew the tricks.

He has made his point, winning the player-of-the-series award after India’s victory in Zimbabwe. Turns out, he is what everyone had expected: a potentially great white-ball player, a six-hitter in a game that is judged by six-hitting abilities, a match-winner, a bowling-killer. He is yet to shed his puppy fat, yet seems to know his game with a thoroughness that is almost frightening in someone so young. Where does he go from here?

He has made his point, letting the nay-sayers know that he is not too young for international cricket; he is at home in its atmosphere. Now we have an obligation — let’s leave him alone, and sit back to watch his progress over the next couple of decades. Fans are rarely given an opportunity to watch a player grow from his teens to his thirties on a live stage. A front-row seat, too, that should not be abused by reaching out to touch the actor performing.

Break all records

“He will break all the records at international level,” said India’s coach in Zimbabwe V.V.S. Laxman, who has broken a few himself and watched Tendulkar do so too, so he knows a thing or two. And when he says he is impressed by the boy’s maturity and ability to handle pressure we are doubly assured.

Given the manner in which the white ball game grew out of the rib of red ball cricket, it is not surprising that the great players in one format, the top scorers, the bowlers with most wickets are the all-format champions. The game is yet to see an exclusively white ball great, although some may be emerging from the West Indies and Afghanistan.

It’s too early for Sooryavanshi to have to make the choice now, but will he be satisfied to finish as a white ball great or extend his grasp to include Test cricket too? Cricket is at a stage when format-specialisation (however inelegant the term) is not just a possibility but one likely to be encouraged.

Sooryavanshi might not be ready for Test cricket just yet, but such is his talent that the possibility is ever present.

When Tendulkar, at 16, made his Test debut in Pakistan, the prevailing wisdom was that you didn’t play a green Test player in a one-day match because the latter was bad company to keep for one so young. Then Tendulkar set the Peshawar stadium afire striking leg spinner Abdul Qadir for sixes at will (he scored 28 runs in one over) in an exhibition game, and there was no holding him back.

Sooryavanshi might have to do the reverse — keep his six-hitting in check and demonstrate how good his defence is!

Increased pressure

The cricket world is in for a treat, however you look at it. The pressures on a young Sooryavanshi will be far greater than on a young Tendulkar was, simply because of social media and instant criticism without cause.

Dealing with trolls, making the right choices, handling sponsors and advertisers are some of the off-field challenges ahead. The Board of Control for Cricket in India does not have a mentoring system, nor is there a proper players’ association which can bring its experience to bear upon these issues.

It was good of the cricket board to let his parents travel for matches with Sooryavanshi. All of us have a responsibility. After all, it takes a village…

Published – July 29, 2026 12:30 am IST

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Sooryavanshi has made a point — let us resolve to leave him alone

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:01:00 +0000

He has made his point, winning the player-of-the-series award after India’s victory in Zimbabwe. Turns out he is what everyone had expected, a potentially great white ball player, a six-hitter in a game that is judged by six-hitting abilities, a match-winner, a bowling-killer. He is yet to shed his puppy fat, yet seems to know his game with a thoroughness that is almost frightening in someone so young. Where does he go from here?

He has made his point, letting the nay-sayers know that he is not too young for international cricket; he is at home in its atmosphere. Now we have an obligation — let’s leave him alone, and sit back to watch his progress over the next couple of decades. Fans are rarely given an opportunity to watch a player grow from his teens to his thirties on a live stage. A front row seat, too, that should not be abused by reaching out to touch the actor performing.

Break all records

Sooryavanshi might not be ready for Test cricket just yet, but such is his talent that the possibility is ever present.

Sooryavanshi might have to do the reverse — keep his six-hitting in check and demonstrate how good his defence is!

Increased pressure

It was good of the cricket board to let his parents travel for matches with Sooryavanshi. All of us have a responsibility. After all, it takes a village…

Published – July 29, 2026 12:30 am IST

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s tryst with Harare

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 01:47:00 +0000

Two series, six matches. Two half-centuries, one Player of the Match award, one Player of the Series honour. That’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international CV thus far after an exhilarating, whirlwind July when he took his first, firm steps towards moving from boy wonder to a man for all seasons.

The 15-year-old’s inclusion in the Indian T20I squads for the twin tours of Ireland and England was welcomed with more than a frisson of excitement and expectation. There ought to have been not a semblance of discussion on whether he should feature in the squad if not for his tender age, because especially in IPL 2026, he had showcased his exceptional talent with one bruising masterpiece after another. A season-high tally of 776 runs and the Orange Cap in his first full season should have, as it thankfully eventually did, been an automatic rite of passage to the national side. If there were any misgivings at all, it was because he was 15, not 18 or 19.

Sooryavanshi had battered the best bowlers in the world in the IPL, smashing them to smithereens and often instilling dread and fear as they ran in to deliver the little white orb because even the Cummins’ and the Hazlewoods, the Bumrahs and the Rabadas, knew that the margin for error was miniscule. His consistency reiterated that he was more than just a one-trick pony. He blazed to 15-ball half-centuries for fun, the sixes flowed as if there was an invisible, illegal spring in his bat (something Sanath Jayasuriya was hilariously accused of after his pyrotechnics in the 1996 World Cup) and for the first time in many years (since maybe 1988?), India was transfixed by the breathtaking audacity of a teen phenom.

Not just India, of course. Such is the reach, magnetic pull and popularity of the world’s most celebrated 20-over league that global audiences were treated to the Sooryavanshi magic. To see David take down Goliath is one of the time-tested endearing subtexts to any sporting contest. Tens of thousands willed the young lad to succeed not just for the novelty value but the sheer entertainment he provided, the joy he brought with uninhibited freedom which is often professed in the dressing room but hard to put into practice ball after ball, innings after innings.

Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir, the new leadership group of the T20I setup, chose to make the restless teenager wait for his baptism. Contrary to expectations that he would be blooded against the Irish in a series India were expected to dominate, Sooryavanshi watched from the sidelines as his colleagues crashed and burned to an unprecedented, seismic 0-2 defeat, their first losses to the Irish in international cricket. He was eventually handed his India cap for the second of five T20Is against Harry Brook’s England, in Manchester on July 4. His maiden outing fetched only 14 runs (off 10 balls), but there were two sixes thrown in, including one off Rajasthan Royals teammate Jofra Archer, a brief first appearance that suggested that he wasn’t out of place in the bustling cauldron of country vs country battle.

Sooryavanshi’s next two outings in England weren’t productive either – 13 off 5 balls in Nottingham, and 15 off 10 in Bristol — after which he was benched for the final game at Rose Bowl in Southampton. He must have watched with mounting frustration as, on an absolute belter, the hosts racked up 257 for three and India replied with a competitive but eventually woefully inadequate 201 for eight. There is no gainsaying how Sooryavanshi would have acquitted himself; whispers were starting to surface that the short ball into the body was a kryptonite of sorts, but there is little sustained evidence to support that theory. England brought the young lad 42 runs off 25 deliveries with one four and five sixes, hardly sensational but definitely not enough to write him off.

In Zimbabwe in the week gone by, however, the international game was privileged to witness the phenomenon reprise his IPL magic. Sooryavanshi has quite a tryst with the Harare Sports Club, where Shreyas’ bunch locked horns with the host nation in a three-match showdown. India had gone through seven winless games in Ireland and England, losing six with one game (the opening fixture against England) abandoned halfway through, and Shreyas desperately needed a victory against his name after a horror start to his T20I captaincy stint.

Happy hunting ground

He needn’t have worried too much, as it turned out. After all, he had the ace in his pack, a young man who dug into his memory bank, dredged up happy thoughts of his time at the Harare Sports Club, and brutalised a solid Zimbabwe pace attack spearheaded by the towering Blessing Muzarabani and the left-armer, Richard Ngarava.

Muzarabani, more than his left-handed counterpart, had played a big part in Zimbabwe making it to the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup earlier this year at the expense of fancied former champions Australia. Standing six feet eight inches (203 cms) in his socks, he used his height to great advantage, fusing bounce with movement to resemble a one-man wrecking ball. Muzarabani finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament; his 13 scalps (only one behind Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy) came in only six bowls, his strike rate of 11 balls per wicket bettered among the top-five wicket-takers only by Shadley van Schalkwyk (6.84) of the United States, who also ended up with 13 wickets. He was expected to give India’s batters, who had a miserable run in England, a torrid time, but Sooryavanshi had other plans.

In February, at the same venue, Sooryavanshi had made the Under-19 World Cup final against England a ridiculously one-sided affair well before the halfway stage of the contest. After Ayush Mhatre chose to bat, the left-handed opener went on the rampage, tearing into the shell-shocked English boys with utter disdain.

Boundaries cascaded off his bat with remarkable regularity; he reached his 50 off 32 deliveries, took only 23 more to bring up his century, and went from 100 to 150 in a mere 16 balls. By the time he was dismissed, gloving a slog-sweep to the wicketkeeper, he had hurtled to 175, from just 80 deliveries, with 15 power-packed fours and an equal number of towering sixes. He had accounted for 69.72% of the runs India had scored (251) till he was at the crease. Sooryavanshi’s blitzkrieg ended off the third delivery of the 26th over, just past the halfway stage of the Indian innings. Who knows what he would have finished with had he batted for even a half-hour more.

In Sooryavanshi’s corner on that occasion was Hrishikesh Kanitkar as the head coach, with former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi too travelling as the bowling/spin coach. And, of course, there was V.V.S. Laxman , the wonderfully affable and positive-talking Hyderabadi who has quietly elevated the profile of the Centre of Excellence (previously the National Cricket Academy) without getting either his due or craving for approbation and plaudits, who travelled for the second half of the Under-19 World Cup as the team’s mentor, among other things.

While Kanitkar wasn’t in Harare this last week, both Laxman and Joshi were. With Gambhir and his support staff taking a break ahead of the Test tour of Sri Lanka beginning in a little over a week’s time, Laxman stepped in as the interim head coach, like he has done quite a few times in the past, with Joshi for support. Perhaps, the familiarity with the ground, previous dizzying success at the venue and a sense of ease around the coaching staff that has overseen his progress over the last year and a bit helped calm Sooryavanshi down. He was clearly in his elements, reprising the destructive avatar that made him such a compelling attraction during the IPL.

India’s youngest international cricketer, male or female, became the youngest half-centurion in all T20Is when he lashed an even 50 in the first encounter on Thursday, July 23. The half-century came off only 18 deliveries, though he saw off the Muzarabani threat with commonsense rather than bravado. India were chasing a modest target of 126 and Sooryavanshi’s early blitz powered them to a commanding victory with 40 deliveries to spare, though the Player-of-the-Match award went to pacer Mayank Yadav for his spell of two for 18. After a whirlwind nine-ball 20 in Saturday’s game two, Sooryavanshi went into overdrive in the final, dead rubber on Sunday. In the clearest indication yet that he has a terrific cricket brain nestled in that young, still developing head, Sooryavanshi batted with tremendous maturity and intelligence on a worn surface where the bounce was uneven and where the ball didn’t exactly gush on to the bat.

No half-measures

Sooryavanshi picked the balls to attack with care and diligence, but when he went on the offensive, he didn’t hold back. There were no half-measures, his commitment to the stroke indisputably maximal. Abhishek Sharma fell cheaply again and the normally fluent Ishan Kishan struggled for timing, but Sooryavanshi seemed immune to the vagaries of the pitch.

His fifty appeared measured, yet it came off just 31 deliveries; as he raced into the 80s, visions of a maiden century loomed until he fell to a wonderful catch in the deep by Brad Evans. His final returns – 81 off 49, eight fours, four sixes. As India completed a comfortable 35-run victory to seal a 3-0 series sweep, there was only one candidate for both the match and the series honours. Welcome to the world of international cricket, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. And what’s the fuss all about, right? Laxman’s personality doesn’t lend itself to hyperbole, so when he says something, you know that that’s precisely what he means. He was glowing in his praise of the young lad, extolling his maturity and cricket smarts not just during the last week but over the last six months, from the Under-19 World Cup onwards.

“He’s got a long career ahead, and he has the attitude and mindset to improve every day,” the magician with wrists of steel proclaimed. “I’m sure he will progress and break all the records at the international level. He’s got all the potential and ability to do that.”

Over to you now, young man, to prove the great man right.

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India bat first in 3rd T20I against Zimbabwe; Ashok, Shedge in eleven

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 11:50:00 +0000

India’s batsman Ishan Kishan prepares to bat during the second T20 cricket match between Zimbabwe and India in Harare, Zimbabwe, Saturday, July 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

India skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat against Zimbabwe in the third T20I on Sunday (July 26, 2026).

India brought in pacer Ashok Sharma for injured Prince Yadav while Suryansh Shedge replaced Shivam Dube.

Latest cricket news updates

Zimbabwe pacer Richard Ngarava will sit out of this match with a niggle, as Wellington Masakzada replaced him in the eleven.

Teams

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Ashok Sharma, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani.

Published – July 26, 2026 05:07 pm IST

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Zimbabwe opt to field in 2nd T20I vs India; Yash Thakur makes debut

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 11:56:00 +0000

Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza (L) tosses the coin as India’s captain Shreyas Iyer (R) looks on ahead of the second Twenty20 international cricket match between Zimbabwe and India at Harare Sports Club in Harare, on July 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and elected to field against India in their second T20 International on Saturday (July 25, 2026).

Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur was handed his T20I debut as he replaced Ashok Sharma in the playing eleven.

India lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the series opener by seven wickets.

Teams

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.

Published – July 25, 2026 05:17 pm IST

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Prabhsimran credits Yuvraj, Ponting for his improvement

admin — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 21:23:00 +0000

Prabhsimran Singh. File
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Prabhsimran Singh was in the middle of a gym session when he got to know about his selection in the India squad for the three T20Is in Zimbabwe later this month.

When PTI reached out to him, the 25-year-old from Patiala could not express in words how much the national call up meant to him.

Recalling the moment, he said he cut short his gym session and rushed home to share his unbridled joy with his family.

The prolific Punjab Kings opener was hoping to get that special piece of news having scored 500-plus runs in the last two IPL seasons. His recent outing for India A in Sri Lanka also fuelled that hope.

Prabhsimran was part of India’s Asian Games in 2023 but did not get to play. If he gets to play in Harare, the soft-spoken batter knows he will have to make it count considering the intense competition in the shortest format.

He has been picked as the second wicket-keeper batter in the side after Ishan Kishan with Sanju Samson surprisingly left out of the squad.

“You do feel good when something you are working towards all your life happens. The Asian Games experience back then was good but I didn’t get to play, so I can’t really talk about the nerves that you usually feel when you debut for India,” Prabhsimran told PTI in an interview.

“Now in my heart, if I am going there (to Zimbabwe), I don’t want to come back (without playing). I have always thought that I have to represent the country but, I have to sustain there too. That is the only thing in my mind. If I get a chance, I will do my best so that I don’t go out of the team.”

What has stood out for Prabhsimran over the past year is his consistency. The 20s and 30s now often get converted into substantial scores, a testament to that are his six fifty plus scores in the latest IPL. He and Priyansh Arya have developed into one of the most destructive opening pairs in the IPL.

For someone who has played age group cricket alongside Punjab teammates Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, Prabhsimran doesn’t have to look beyond them for added motivation.

Abhishek and Prabhsimran have the same mentor in World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.

“I have not had a session with Yuvi paaji post the IPL but I did call him after the India selection. It was a long phone call. He shared his experience of playing at the highest level. He always tells me to stay one step ahead of the bowler,” said Prabhsimran.

What about the contribution from PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting, the other cricketing great in his life? “Both are different personalities but have the same mentality. Ricky sir has contributed a lot to my success. He was the one who called and told me about my retention (in 2024). He told me that he will make me a better player and he did.

“When you see the results, you want to keep learning from him. I am thankful to both Yuvi paaji and Ricky sir,” said Prabhsimran, who duly acknowledges the immense role IPL and his franchise PBKS have played in his growth.

“It was my eighth season with the franchise and I am glad that I have got the India call-up with them.” Not only has Prabhsimran become a lot more consistent in the high-risk T20 format, he can also bat in different gears relying on conventional strokeplay.

Asked what he has done to evolve in the ever changing T20 game, he said: “In today’s world, you have to play high risk cricket. It used to be difficult to chase 160-170. Now even if a team gets 220-240, it doesn’t feel safe. You have to play high risk cricket and yet be consistent. That is what I focus on.

“Also, whenever I get free time, I don’t go out much. It is important to switch off from cricket but I can only do that for one or two days. I love to bat long even in training.

“If I get to play with 7-8 bowlers in the nets, I like each of them to bowl at least 10 overs to me. If you want to stay relevant, you have to add something new every year.”

Published – July 10, 2026 02:53 am IST